THE NEW YORKER PRéLUDé W e need a theme? then let that be our theme: that we, poor grovellers between faith and doubt, the sun and north star lost, and compass out, the heart's weak engine all but stopped, the time grown timeless in this chaos of our wills- that we must ask a theme, something to think, something to say, between dawn and dark, something to hold to, something to love- Medusa of the northern sky, shine upon us, and if we fear to think, then turn that fear to stone, that we may learn unconsciousness alone; but freeze not the uplifted prayer of hands that hope for the unknown. Give us this day our daily death, that we may learn to live; teach us that we trespass; that we 11lay learn, in wisdom, not in kindness, to forgive; and in the granite of our own bones seal us daily. o neighbors, in this world of dooms and Otl1ens, participators in the cri11le of god, seekers of self amid the ruins of space: jurors and guilty men, who, face to face, discóver you but judge yourselves to death, and for such guilt as god himself prepared, dreamed in the atom, and so brought to birth between one zero and another,- turn agaIn to the cold violet that braves the snow, the murder in the tiger's eye, the pure indifference in the star. Why, we are COlue at last to that bright verge where god himself dares for the first time, with unfaltering foot. And shall we falter, who ourselves are god? -CONRAD 6-1.IKEN . . MISS TRé VIS GOéS RéD E VERYONE see11led to be talking about Karl Marx, so Miss 'rrevis sat quiet and hoped she looked all right. She didn't know much about Marx. "And as for Russia," the big Blan in evening clothes was declaring, "they had to throw Marx out and call in American engineers and factory ex- perts. The Bower of capitalisIl1, to put c oo f ' " ommunlsm on Its eet. The others all contradicted hi11l at once. There was an uproar and Miss Trevis was quite startled. She turned to the man next to her, who sat with his hands in his pockets, puffing smoke toward the ceiling. "Is there going to be a revolution?" she asked, timid- ly. The man tore his eyes from the ceiling. "Of course," he said.. I.'Y ou mean like Russia?" "Certainly." "When?" asked Miss T revise He did not answer. His eyes had resumed their fixed expres- sion. Miss Trevis gathered that it would be at once, and that it would find hin1 in- that position. "Listen," the 11lan in eVe- ning clothes was saying. "Have you noticed who has taken over the old C0111- -) 19 munist headquarters on Union Square? S. Klein, Dresses, Coats. A dollar for- ty-seven. Less social equality and more dresses and coats for a dollar. forty- seven. That's what the American " masses want.. The man in horn-rimmed glasses regarded him calmly. "It doesn't mat- ter what you think," he said. "Under the Communist régime, you'll be the first to be shot." M Iss TREVIS stared. Why, how awful! But the man in evening clothes leaned back in his chair and laughed. "I will not," he boomed. "A filthy capitalist, am I? Exploiter of the working man, alTI I ? Well, it just hap- pens that I'm one of the dozen or so men in the country who know what the railroad business is all about. The Communists will have too much sense to shoot me. You're the one they'll shoot." He nodded toward the man in horn-rimmed glasses and then glanced around the entire group. "'rhey'll shoot the whole lot of you, O k " qUIC . They allle.aned forward, indignant. "Sure they will," the railroad man " y , d o d o h wen t on. ou can t Ig ItC es, can you? Not very handy with acetylene torches, are you ? You couldn't build a dam or a trans- mission line, could . you? No. \Vell, bang! You'll be shot, thoroughly. "Let's see, " H now . . . e looked at the man in the tweed o " A f SUIt. pro es- sor of dramatic literature. Know a lot about Eliz- abethan drama. You'll be shot." He turned to the man in horn- rimmed glasses. "You're a critic. 'rhe maSSeS don't care for criticism. You'll be shot." H is glance roved on. "A musician? Who supports m u sic in t his country, In any country? The capitalists. You're shot." He Went un. "A novelist?